John Peter Van Ness

John Peter Van Ness (4 November 1769-7 March 1846) was a member of the US House of Representatives (DR-NY 6) from 6 October 1801 to 17 January 1803 (succeeding John Bird and preceding Isaac Bloom) and Mayor of Washington DC from 1830 to 1834 (succeeding Joseph Gales and preceding William A. Bradley).

Biography
John Peter Van Ness was born in Ghent, New York in 1769, the older brother of William P. Van Ness and Cornelius P. Van Ness. He became a lawyer before serving in the US House of Representatives from 1801 to 1803, and President Thomas Jefferson made him an officer in the Washington DC militia. From 1811 to 1814, he served as the second commander of the District of Columbia National Guard, and he served as Mayor from 1830 to 1834. He also served as President of the National Metropolitan Bank from 1814 until his death in 1846.